Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Published: | 2011-12-13 |
Diameter: | 0.28 inches |
Length: | 4.88 inches |
Manufacturer: | Aerospace Specialty Products |
Skill Level: | 2 |
Style: | MicroMaxx, Scale |
Brief:
A scale model o' a Polish RP-3 that flies on MiniMaxx engines and can fit in t' palm o' your hand from ASP.
Construction:
T' kit includes: two (2) body tubes, ya bilge rat, a nose cone, two (2) slide-in couplers, shiver me timbers, a decal sheet, arrr, shiver me timbers, Keelhaul®©™ thread, arrr, ya bilge rat, lead shot, me hearties, and some hard styrene sheets and other miscellaneous styrene tools.
Instructions are definitely set for t' beginner. Begad! Besides a quick overview t' see if thar were any gotchas, I ignored them.
For a beginner they are extremely thorough which I guess is good for a very new area o' model rocketry. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! ( I have me own kit line for these motors so I feel I have already experienced all t' gotcha's) At first I was dismayed by t' cut yourself styrene parts but I must say in t' end I am impressed. T' parts come out VERY sharp and paint VERY smoothly.
T' tubes were smooth enough then some 1000 grit sandpaper rubbin' on t' nose cone and I did nay even have t' seal anything. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' model is surprisingly hefty. Avast! Nay heavy, matey, but I mean sturdy probably due t' t' couplers that run t' entire inside length. Avast, me proud beauty! T' break apart body (instead o' breakin' apart at t' nose) is a VERY good idea and makes for a much easier shock cord and nose weight attachment. Avast, me proud beauty! And t' break apart seems t' make t' airflow MUCH better since MMaxx type rockets tend t' streamline in recovery even when t' nose pops. Begad! This mid-body break also makes finishin' a DREAM. Aye aye! Much less maskin' t' get those CRISP lines etc.
I did make some changes. Aye aye! Ahoy! I used scissors instead o' a knife t' cut t' fin stock. I used scissors a lot so I have a nice sturdy, me hearties, very sharp, shiver me timbers, pair around and they worked quite well. Blimey! Aye aye! By bein' careful with placement o' patterns I was also able t' end up with a lot o' extra styrene (will put that t' good use). Aye aye! T' styrene is CA friendly.
Finishing:
Finishin' t' RP-3 be a breeze . Avast! . Avast, me proud beauty! .literally! Paint t' top half BLACK and t' Bottom half STEEL (silver). Aye aye! Begad! Let dry and apply t' decal. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I applied t' decal once it straightened out and t' darndest thin' happened; it wrapped itself around t' tube . . Arrr! Blimey! . Avast! Aye aye! flawlessly at that. Arrr! I be done and it looked VERY pretty!
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
It takes MMaxx engines from Quest. Aye aye! Begad! They all test out stable in RockSim usin' t' specs o' me completed models. Ahoy! Begad! These models are rather light and will really zip off t' pad - should be loads o' fun.
T' RP-3 flew great! It took off a wee-bit fast but still watchable (launch pics? yeah, right, shiver me timbers, keep dreaming). No damage upon recovery. Well, blow me down! T' RP-3 landin' within 40 feet o' t' pad.
I be very impressed. Begad! T' double walled tube structure that happens when you make it accordin' t' instructions make t' RP-3 very strong. Ahoy! I anticipate a very long life.
Recovery:
As usual with MMAxx if you don't see it land you are in trouble BUT this one is large enough and heavy enough that it be visible throughout t' entire flight. Ahoy! On a slightly darker day t' RP-3 could be tough (dark black and red) but I had no problems watchin' it fly.
T' RP-3 uses Keelhaul®©™ for t' shock cord and since I opted out o' usin' t' streamer (pain t' prep) no waddin' is needed.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
I am extremely impressed by this model. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! T' styrene parts are a definite PLUS. Avast! Sturdy strong and beautiful t' finish. Ya scallywag! I love them! Blimey! T' RP-3 is especially cool. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I was goin' t' model t' RP-3 as a Nano Rocket but with ASP doin' such a wonderful job on this one why bother. Except for havin' ready cut fins (very hard and would likely be very expensive) I can nay really see how t' improve this model any more than it is.
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5